Author Topic: John's Cheese #005 - Feta #1  (Read 8188 times)

Cheese Head

  • Guest
John's Cheese #005 - Feta #1
« on: May 03, 2008, 06:21:20 PM »
Today I'm starting to make my first ever Feta Cheese following the recipe posted in this forum here.

MAY 3, 2008
  • 1:30 PM Warmed milk to 85 F / 30 C and then added 2 oz / 3 ice cubes of previously homemade Mesophilic Starter Culture, info posted in this forum here.
  • 3:30 PM Whisked in diluted 25 (vs 20 recommended) drops of Malaka Brand vegetarian rennet and 0.8 grams Calcium Chloride, info on rennet posted in this forum here.
  • 5:30 PM Checked curd, see picture, got nice clean break, cut the curd with long serrated bread knife.
  • 5:45 PM Ladled into muslin cheesecloth sock and hung to separate curds from whey.
  • 10:30 PM Removed curds from sock and packed into plastic container just over 1 inch / 3 cm thick, and placed in fridge for night.

MAY 4, 2008
  • 7:30 AM Cut soft curds into 1 inch / 2.5 cm cubes, placed them in storage container, added saturated brine, placed in fridge for aging.

MAY 9, 2008
  • Removed few blocks for eating in salad, drained, still very soft, colour is great, nice white, and taste is like very salty curds.

MAY 11, 2008
  • Removed Feta from saturated brine bath, placed in container, rinsed once with fresh water, sealed container and placed in fridge for use.

THOUGHTS
  • Got very good curd set with added 1 gram Calcium Carbonate and 25 drops vs 20 recommended of vegetarian Malaka brand Rennet (vs previous chees without Calcium Carbonate), next time cut back to package recommended 20 drops.
  • After hanging curd in muslin sock for 4 3/4 hours, outside was dry-ish but inside still quite moist, consequence was 1 inch cube curds were very fragile even after setting over night. Next time open bag and stir dry-ish curd off of cloth wall to allow more thorough drainage of whey.
  • Packing lumpy whey into tray left many small air gaps even after pushing rubber spatula down sides to get air bubbles out. While feta does have some holes, this made cubes before brine quite fragile. Next time before packing into tray, stir curd with whisk to reduce lumpiness so that less entrained air.
  • After cutting cubes, inverted the container for easier access to cubes worked well.
  • Pouring brine on top of cubes placed in aging container tended to break them up a little as fragile. Next time place brine in container first and then place cubes in brine.
  • Taste is like very salty curds, need to rinse to reduce salt, also pouring brine on top of cubes placed in aging container tended to break them up a little as fragile. Next time pour/mix brine in container first and then place cubes in brine.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 03:04:04 AM by Cheese Head »


Cheese Head

  • Guest
« Last Edit: May 04, 2008, 03:52:59 AM by Cheese Head »

Cheese Head

  • Guest
« Last Edit: May 04, 2008, 12:50:44 PM by Cheese Head »

Cheese Head

  • Guest
« Last Edit: May 11, 2008, 03:37:44 PM by Cheese Head »

reg

  • Guest
Re: John's Cheese #005 - Feta
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2008, 01:07:21 PM »
i love it !!! great job with the photos. your tutorial will make it easier for a new cheese maker to follow all the steps

reg

Cheese Head

  • Guest
Re: John's Cheese #005 - Feta
« Reply #6 on: May 04, 2008, 01:40:09 PM »
Thanks reg for your support, to help others, I posted a Webmaster > FAQ > Post Attachments for easy how to.

As indoors, I'm taking snaps with flash on but my photo skills aren't great, milk / curd is actually whiter than picture and whey is less green etc.

I need to go back and add Thoughts section to my other cheese making posts, so I also know what to do different next time!
« Last Edit: May 04, 2008, 02:01:55 PM by Cheese Head »